Sunday, May 8, 2016

We honor our mothers on Mother’s Day
because, frankly, they are our mothers, and we love them immensely, despite
some of the challenges we ostensibly faced and put them through during our
growing up years. But mothers are more than just mothers. They literally are
some of the best leaders this world has ever seen. Just like leaders in the
business and education world, mothers possess the same, if not more, leadership
qualities than the great leaders. Consider just these ten leadership qualities:

1.Mothers know how to plan strategically. With soccer, dance, karate, basketball, robotics,
music, and a host of other activities their children are involved in, mothers
know how to strategically plan to get everyone where they need to be and on
time. Plus, she plans dinners, lunch, breakfasts, cleaning of the house, dental
and eye appointments, doctor visits, science and other class projects, dances
and musical recitals, and dozens more activities. Most planning of the household
squarely lands in the mother’s portfolio. And she completes them with strategic
ease and accomplishment.

2.Mothers understand economic development and the markets. Mothers know what the best products
are, why she should buy them, and where to find them. They don’t ever buy retail.
She knows how to find the best deals at every department store.

3.Mothers are the greatest cheerleaders and purveyors of positive
attitudes. With all
of the whining and moaning and groaning that some children profess, mothers
continue to be the go-fight-win-you-can-do-it-type-be-happy cheerleaders. They
are ones who tell us to buck up and just do it. They are the ones who gives us
a huge hug—many dozens of hugs—and tell us that we can do it and then do
everything they can to help us progress and grow and to be successful.

4.Mother are financial gurus. Who normally manages the budget in a family? Most of the time
it is the mother. She is the one who shops, pays the bills, doles out the money
when children need something, figures out how much school costs, completes all
banking transactions, and performs other high-level financial transactions. They
teach their children financial responsibility and budgets by giving allowances
and helping them follow patterns of financial awareness. Mothers usually do not
allow us spend our money frivolously. Rather, she teaches us financial
awareness.

5.Mothers are courageous. Think of this: Mothers watch children sometimes run out in
the middle of road, teach us how to ride bikes, jump on trampolines, pole vault,
climb tall mountains, rappel, navigate the chaos of life, and participate in a
plethora of other potential dangerous situations. Any mother raising children
in this day and age with all of its challenges exudes courage.

6.Mothers are excellent role models and mentors. When we think of role models and
mentors, we don’t have to go beyond our own home. Our mothers have been
incredible role models. Many mothers now work outside the home and do well.
Many other mothers stay home and provide leadership for the home. Who is the
first person most children go to when challenges arise? Their mothers. Even
years after when children leave the home, who is the first person grown
children want to talk to? Yes, their mothers.

7.Mothers know how to manage failures. How many times do children deal with failures?
Mothers know how to help children climb out of the abyss of failures, even if
the failure seems to be trite. A failure is a failure to some people. Mothers
mitigate the failures, whether they are low grades, being kicked out of class,
or a challenges with friends. How many of us have ended up in our mother’s arms
because we couldn’t handle the situation(s)? They love us and will help us in
any way to be successful.

8.Mothers take and delegate responsibility. Ultimately, mothers take
responsibility for everything—bills, shopping, care of the home, cooking,
cleaning, dance lessons, etc. But they also know how to delegate
responsibility. All of us had chores to do, tasks to complete, and duties to
perform. Our mothers outlined everything for us, knowing full well that the responsibility
was ours and hers simultaneously. She taught us to be responsible and how to
take on responsibility and follow through.

9.Mothers are great communicators. Much to our chagrin, mothers’ language goes way beyond the “No,
don’t do that” we thought we grew up with. Mother can communicate on all levels—babies,
toddlers, pre-teenagers, teenagers, young adults, adults, and husbands. Plus,
they communicate with everyone from the paper deliverer, bank, grocery store, telephone
and electric company, city and county officials, school teachers, administrators,
and many, many others. Who don’t mothers communicate with? They are master
communicators.

10.Mothers have a sense of humor. Many business gurus think great leaders need to possess a
sense of humor. Thankfully, mothers have a sense of humor. They laugh and cry
with us. Anyone who can watch adolescents go through puberty and laugh with
them should be nominated for person of the year. Mothers do it all the time and
seem to do it with humorous style.

Mothers are definitely leaders and In Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone, J.K.
Rowling wrote “He didn't realize that love as powerful as your
mother's for you leaves its own mark.”Mothers
do leave their mark, sometimes more imprinted than we acknowledge. Ironically,
as we grow older, we finally realize how important
mothers are. Some years ago, former Secretary of Agriculture, Ezra
Taft Benson, said, “It is mother’s influence during the crucial
formative years that forms a child’s basic character.” And they continue to help form our character over
all. That’s what leaders do, and mothers are the greatest leaders in the world.

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About Me

We have been married for 37 years and have two daughters, Anna Rose (Christiaan) and Hailey (Joseph). We have four grandchildren--Emiline/William (Anna Rose) and Clark/Avonlea (Hailey).
We have previously served as Welfare Specialists in the Caribbean Area Welfare Offiice and lived in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic.
We are excited to serve with all of you in the California Riverside Mission!